Timothy Stephen

Q‐methodology in communication science: An introduction

Q‐methodology, traditionally a tool for phenomenological analysis, single‐subject or small sample research, and typological analysis, has potential for research in human communication. Unfortunately, q‐techniques have often been neglected or misunderstood by main‐stream social scientists. This article presents basic information regarding the construction of q‐sorts, discusses methods for analyzing q‐sort data in a variety of research contexts, and identifies resources which may be consulted by those wishing to learn more about the method.

On-line disciplines: Computer-mediated scholarship in the humanities and social sciences

The recent creation of global-area computer networks invites the development of tools and resources that can reap the scholarly advantages of such technology. In this paper, we discuss prospects for the productive use of computer-mediated communication (CMC) for scholarly interaction. We begin by describing the technology used to deliver information over academic networks and the kinds of disciplinary services that the technology enables. In the second half of the paper we consider factors that bear upon the development of CMC-based disciplinary centers and we call attention to their potential to create a highly interactive form of scholarship.

Concept analysis of gender, feminist, and women's studies research in the communication literature

In recent decades a distinctive literature has accumulated discussing the role of gender, feminism, and womens studies‐related research (GFWS) in the communication field; however, questions have persisted about how this research is represented in the fields publications. Contributing to the literature on the sociology of the fields scholarship, the history of the GFWS literature was sketched in a field test of a concept mapping technique that tracks patterns of publication and isolates conceptual associations within the titles of GFWS articles. The data for the study were significant concepts extracted from titles of 31,500 articles appearing in 70 communication journals and annuals within the period 1970 to 1997. The study accomplished several goals. First, it examined the accuracy of historical arguments about GFWS scholarship, arguments that bear on the issue of fair treatment of GFWS scholarship within the field. Second, it examined GFWS articles by publication source to assess patterns of representation by journal. Third, it provided a response to requests by some scholars working in the area for a thorough survey of the dimensions of the GFWS literature. Findings support the idea that GFWS scholarship is represented by a unique constellation of conceptual relationships. Feminist scholarship is found to have a history unto itself separate from that of studies of gender or sex differences, and has entered the literature in two distinctive eras. As well, feminist research was found to have a unique and uneven pattern of representation in the fields literature. By identifying threads of theoretical connection between articles in a widely dispersed literature, the concept mapping methodology is argued to provide one means for offsetting the fragmentation of the disciplines scholarship that has occurred throughout the last three decades as a result of the rapid proliferation of new specialized communication journals.

Attribution and Adjustment to Relationship Termination

Although relationship dissolution is a fruitful context for field studies of attribution processes, only a handful of studies have been conducted and these have often produced contradictory results. This study analysed the written accounts of ex-partners from recently terminated premarital relationships. Type of attribution (self, other, interpersonal, external) was related to items representing the severity of the impact of the dissolution. Among other findings, evidence indicated that females whose relationships had been terminated longer were more likely to use interpersonal attributions and less likely to use other attributions when accounting for the break-up. It is argued that attribution following relationship termination should be viewed as an on-going process rather than as a singular event.

Assessing Communication Style: A New Measure.

Abstract This article introduces a new procedure for assessing communication style, the Communication Style Q-Set (CSQS). The measure, which can be used in a wide variety of contexts, consists of a deck of 100 items describing communication orientations and behaviors. These may be sorted by subjects or raters to describe an individuals unique style. Evidence is presented in support of the face, concurrent, and discriminant validity of the new measure. Analyses indicated that the CSQS is a multidimensional instrument, significantly related to personality attributes and social style, and capable of distinguishing groups of individuals possessing similar styles. A demonstration is provided of its ability to assist in the analysis of the communicational dynamics of a marital couple.

On linguistic and social forms: Correspondences between metaphoric and intimate relationships

The present study compares metaphors and intimate relationships. It is argued that both may be viewed as relational and that both may be categorized into four distinct styles. Hypotheses addressing correspondences between the four linguistic and social styles were investigated in an empirical study. Twenty‐six couples completed a 48‐item Q— sort containing word pairs representing four types of metaphors. Couple members also completed measures of symbolic interdependence, adjustment/happiness, commitment, and agreement. A Q factor analysis assigned subjects to one of three relationship types on the basis of the types of metaphors chosen to characterize their relationships. Differences between the three types’ scores on the measures of relationship qualities provided validity for the assignment of types and for concluding that parallels exist between linguistic and social forms.

Book review essays

Derek Roger and Peter Bull (Eds.), Conversation: An Interdisciplinary Perspective. Clevedon, England: Multilingual Matters Ltd., 1989. Kathryn Woolard, Double Talk: Bilingualism and the Politics of Ethnicity in Catalonia. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 1989. Patricia Noller and Mary Anne Fitzpatrick (Eds.), Perspectives on Marital Interaction. Philadelphia, PA: Multilingual Matters, Ltd., 1988. David Crookall and Danny Saunders (Eds.)? Communication and Simulation: From Two Fields to One Theme. Clevedon, England: Multilingual Matters, Ltd., 1988.